Music
Press
"(Happy Anarchy's) Reset is an out there sort of record that won't make it's presence known upon first hearing, but after several listens the record just clicks into place revealing an epic wide screen pop record that so many bands aspire to make but are never able to.." - FIRST COAST NEWS - First Coast News
"Every song an entirely different beast - skipping, bubbling indie rock fun." - CMJ
“(Happy Anarchy’s ‘Reset’ is...)a very strong, very ambitious and very accomplished effort.” - POP MATTERS
“Staten Island—New York’s most overlooked borough—has born a lot of music that’s impossible to ignore (the Wu Tang Clan comes to mind), and now you can add local multi-instrumental crew Happy Anarchy to the list of the area’s accomplishments.” - RUMBLE FISH
”It just goes to demonstrate that Happy Anarchy have crafted an enjoyably diverse sophomore release that should have most worldly rock fans hooked.” - OBSCURE SOUND - Obscure Sound
“Staten island's happy anarchy, whose excellent second album, reset, came out in may, plays orchestral rock on the type of grand scale that can feel, as you listen, like undertaking a journey; you climb and descend, run with arms akimbo, hop from one stone to the next - it's quite an impressive piece of work.” - ANYONE’S GUESS
- Anyone's Guess
"Most impressive however, is that it's good, gloriously so, which frankly, is rare for a rock band these days. Their musicianship is top-notch, the song writing is really strong, the lyrics are intelligent - everything about this band shows they really put some quality work into what they're doing" - Jimmy Alvarado - RazorCake Magazine
“Happy Anarchy's sound is both introspective and far-reaching: it's personal and deeply thought through, but capable of reaching a fan base even wider spread than its diverse track listing” - AMIE STREET
"What's so great about Happy Anarchy's set and music in general is that every song is completely different from the previous. "Doin' It Over" was a heavy, guitar-driven song with a fast beat to it, having many in attendance dancing along while practically the entire room was singing with Joe during the chorus of "At The Bottom Of The Sea."" - Annie Reuter - YOUSINGIWRITE
‘Reset’ is a promising debut album and is well worth checking out if you’re a fan of well written indie-rock. - Subba-Cultcha
Discography
Reset - Full-Length LP - 2008 - Highlark Records
Photos
Bio
Happy Anarchy may not immediately strike you as a great band name; it’s not as snappy or catchy as some, but I challenge you to find one that is more appropriate. Both musically and interpersonally, Happy Anarchy is as much a description of the artists themselves as it is of the music they make.
Initially formed in 2003, this gestative version of the band put out a self-titled, self-released album and played everywhere they could get a show. From their hometown of Staten Island at local club Martini Red, thru the Midwest to the South, Happy Anarchy built its base. In 2004, guitarist Yuhei Yamanaka joined Joe Pecora (lead guitar, vocals) and Tim Boylan (ac. guitar, synth, tbn) and began working on the songs that would eventually be featured on their latest album "Reset." During this process, the band lost five out of the original eight members to real life responsibilities. The album was realized only after the addition of Pete Smith on drums and Jesse Blum on keys in late 2006, which came almost a year after the band's near collapse. It was this lineup which redefined the new sound of Happy Anarchy.
The band’s first album under Yamanaka's Highlark label sold out NYC’s Sullivan Hall on the eve of its release and had reached 158 on the CMJ charts by summer 2008. Favorable reviews comparing the band to The Flaming Lips, Modest Mouse, and Built to Spill, as well as exposure on XM stations XMU and the Verge have landed HA shows at NYC area hotspots Union Hall, Maxwell's and the Mercury Lounge.
“Reset,” is an all encompassing audio experience of epic proportion. It starts off with a great premise, and builds upon it from track 1 to track 14, the whole time challenging your ears to experience new levels of their open minded brand of rock. While nothing beats the experience of a live show where they have shared the stage with the Budos Band and The Silent Years, this is one album that captures the band's musical and personal journey.
With Matt Accardo filling the bass position, and Blum departing the band to join Outernational full time, Happy Anarchy may have to 'Reset' all over again. For now this Deli Magazine band of the month is excited about their musical evolution and focus on what’s ahead which right now is a working on material for a new record.
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